Interesting stories, events and random musings from Captain Barry King about windjammer cruises aboard the historic schooner Mary Day of Camden, Maine.

Main menu

Tag Archives: Christmas by the Sea

Good morning everyone! Yesterday morning we took a walk in the woods to find the perfect tree to decorate the mast head of the schooner. We have a number of balsam firs in our woods most of which fit best in a Charlie Brown cartoon. After careful consideration we found one that, after careful trimming, fit the bill. We brought it down to the the harbor on a trailer and proceeded to string it with 250′ of white lights. Oh, don’t forget the bells at the tippity top. I have this image in my mind of someone standing on the town landing and hearing tinkling bells coming from the sky above. Santa must be close by!

“Hey, Jen, I am no rocket surgeon but something isn’t quite right here.”

Rigging a 20′ tall tree at the masthead is not as simple as it might first appear. If I were a fly on a post watching from the town landing I would question the wisdom of sending a tree aloft upside down. But it really is the easiest way to get it off the dock and up aloft with do too much damage. Once the gantline attached to the “throat” of tree is two blocked a second line is used to right the tree. We use three stout seizings to lash the tree in place against the gale force winds that will undoubtedly whistle down through the Camden Hills at some time during the next month.

As the light continues to fade for the next month we hope that everyone in Camden who sees the tree at the masthead all lit up will pause for just a moment and feel a little bit of joy for the season. We do!! Have yourself a great day. Be well. Do good.

Good morning everyone. Christmas by the Sea in Camden is the start of the holiday celebration season in the midcoast. Festivities around town bring folks out in force. Wreathes are hung on each lamp post. Storefronts are beautifully decorated. And the star on Mt Battie can be seen from miles away. Santa arrives by lobster boat. And atop the schooner’s mainmast the crew has placed one gi-normous Christmas tree complete with star on top. This year’s tree has a little more of the Charlie Brown feel to it but it is no less a symbol of hope and a natural celebration of the solstice soon to be upon us. When I put the elf hat on I am carried to a place I hold in my heart all the year long. OK, lights may or may not be a little bit of a challenge for me. Never fear, Katie, Jennie and Jim saved me from myself by unplugging the strand when they saw my predicament.